Page 6 of Court of Lies and Deceit

“What is it?” Isera demands, her sharp gaze assessing me.

With great effort, I force my eyes to focus through the searing pain at the back of my skull. Unclenching my jaw, I drag in a deep breath. “Nothing. I just have a little headache.”

She and Alistair exchange a glance.

Then both of them are on their feet.

“No, don’t—” I begin protesting as they no doubt get ready to signal to Draven.

But before I can even finish the sentence, there is movement inside the forest.

My stomach lurches as a tall man walks out of the shadows and comes to a halt right inside the barrier.

Dragon fire glints in the spiky black crown he wears on his head.

The Unseelie King has come.

CHAPTER THREE

The Unseelie King arches a dark eyebrow at the storm of fire and lightning that is crashing against his wards. Alistair and Isera notice him a second after me, and they whip around to stare at him. Up above, Draven and the others must have spotted him too, because all three of them stop their assault on the wards and instead speed down towards the ground.

From where I’m sitting against the fallen tree, I study the Unseelie King who is still standing there right inside his wards, looking faintly amused. And what I find surprises me. I’m not sure why, but I had imagined the ruler of the wicked Unseelie Court to look harsh and rugged. But it’s the exact opposite.

My head spins from the drugs and my teeth continue chattering as I stare at the fae man on the other side of the transparent barrier.

He is not handsome in that masculine way that Draven is. Instead, he is beautiful. He’s tall and his body is made up of lean muscles, which makes me think that he is both fast and lethal, but his facial features are more sharp and narrow and delicate. Almost to the point of looking a little feminine. That impression is heightened by the fact that he has long dark blue hair that cascades down to his ribs like a smooth waterfall. His eyes,which are a breathtaking mix of black and silver, look like slivers of the night sky.

The spiky black crown on his head gleams in the silver light from the moon, and his elegant garments made of black and dark blue fabric with touches of silver are perfectly tailored to his lean muscular body.

He’s gorgeous, but even through the wards, I can almost feel the ruthlessness radiating from his entire being. This man might be beautiful, but he is also incredibly dangerous. Like a venomous snake. Beautiful to look at but best viewed from a distance.

Black smoke explodes across the grass as Draven, Lyra, and Galen land hard on the ground and shift out of their dragon forms. When it clears, Galen and Lyra are in their human forms while Draven is in a half-shift. His massive black wings are spread wide in a show of power as he stalks towards the barrier. Lyra and Galen trail to an awkward halt halfway between it and us, as if they don’t know if Draven wants their help or not. Draven doesn’t even appear to notice, because his gaze is fixed on the fae man on the other side of the transparent barrier.

A slow smirk curls the Unseelie King’s lips as he spreads his arms wide in a mocking gesture. “I thought you would have learned by now, Shadow of Death. Despite all of your power, all of your fire and your storm magic, you cannot breach these wards.” He lets his arms drop again and then gives Draven a sharp look. “So why have you brought war to my court at this time of night?”

“I’m not here for war,” Draven replies as he comes to a halt right outside the barrier. “I’m here for your healer.”

“If you think that I would ever surrender Haldia to you, you have grown even more delusional since our last skirmish.”

“I don’t want to take her. I want her to save someone.”

“Who?”

Draven turns to look at me. I try to keep my shivering to a minimum, but it’s useless. My body shakes violently, and that searing, burning pain that is now creeping up the back of my skull is making black spots dance at the edges of my vision. Pure dread pulses in Draven’s eyes as he watches me, but he wipes it off his features before turning back to the Unseelie King.

My heart jerks as those sharp black and silver eyes slide to me. The Unseelie King watches me in silence for a moment before returning his gaze to Draven.

“Ice flames,” is all the king says.

“Yes,” Draven confirms. “She needs a healer, or she’s going to die.”

“So take her to the Orange Dragon Clan. They have healing magic, don’t they?”

“I can’t.”

A spark of interest suddenly gleams in the Unseelie King’s eyes. “So itistrue. You have betrayed the Icehearts.”

Surprise pulses through me. How could he have known that? It has only been hours since we escaped from the Ice Palace. Even though Nysara, his spy in Frostfell, witnessed the fight and helped glamour us so that we could escape, there is no way that she should have been able to get word all the way to the Unseelie Court this fast.

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